Responses to reviews:

nati55: Muchas gracias! No era mi intention a decepionar. Solamente sorprender el publico. Pero, el cuento con Helga y Rodrigo no termina aqui.

Cre8ivelybankrupt87: Thanks! Yes, I chose to stick to the canon line in this story. I originally was going to have Helga see Arnold as a loving, trust friend. She was finally able to see him as that. But, as I said before, while I could have gotten away with that, I felt this was more appropriate. Plus, it's make way for some interesting chapters in 'A New Life' after this one lol.

Yes, assuming Rodrigo survives this. I did mention that a character does die in this story.

With Rodrigo and Rhonda, it remains to be seen that will happen. But yes, I was also never a fan of Curly/Rhonda pair. I just don't see them have anything in common. They are not even polar opposites like Helga and Arnold. Plus, with Curly's antics and erratic behaviour, he comes off as a comical predator and that's not fair to Rhonda. Curly would have to really tone down to even have a chance in being with Rhonda.

Veganmama: Thank you! Yes, precisely for that reason is why I wanted to have Arnold and Helga have this full circle closure on the balcony. As much as some people didn't like the movie, many others and I still consider it to be canon.

Rosali Leon Huamani: Muchas gracias por tu comento!

I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter because it really (*&^%%% long to write it. lol

Guest #1: I'm not surprised of your celebration, lol. Happy early Christmas!

Guest #2: Thank so much for your comment! Sorry to hear about your ex. But I do hope you don't label Rodrigo as a bad kid.

Yes, Rodrigo is selfish, but not in the way as you would think. Helga in the TV series is the typical selfish person. Given her upbringing, she usually only cares about herself, save for a few instances. Rodrigo on the other hand, is not selfish in that respect. He only showed his selfishness during the summer because of the situation between Helga and Arnold. That would upset any person. But, the way he treated Helga was a huge leap away from what he had been doing throughout this series and he knew that he crossed a line that even he would never be able to go back. He knew he failed miserably and unlike other people, he is usually not ashamed to admit when he is wrong.

People have commented that they don't like Rodrigo and that is exactly what I was intending. Most people love Helga, but some people also don't like her and can even annoy some fans with her behaviour. With Rodrigo, I wanted to take that to a whole new level. Unlike Helga who is actually selfish, I made Rodrigo where initially, he gives the impression that he is a great guy and in many respects, he is! But, he eventually rubs people off the wrong way. He has a tendency to be usually right, or at least have good reasons, about things and that gives him the legitimacy to do whatever he feels is necessary to get the job done. This includes stomping on people's feet, so to speak, without remorse. To make matters worse, unlike Helga who you can easily accuse her of only thinking about herself, you can't make that same accusation with Rodrigo. He has his reasons so to why he did what he had to do, which makes things even worse for people, because not only does he stomp on you, but makes you feel inferior to him, as he did in my other story 'Arnold's Legacy'. He has high standards, but he is not a hypocrite. He is hard on himself and is willing to put himself in the trench lines as everyone else. He leads by example. In my other series, HA! Season 6, I'm planning on covering this part about him in more depth.

Back to your review, yes, that was also the reason why I chose this route; character development for both Rodrigo and Helga. I could have technically still have allowed some character development if I chose to have Helga stay with Rodrigo. It could have been done. But I realized that in order for them to have a more full blown character development, this route was more appropriate. I'm not sure if you read my previous story, 'Helga's Transference', but in it, Helga gives Rodrigo a hard time. Most of their arguments stems from her, not him. Yet, like Arnold, he remains by her side as a friend and later boyfriend. I just want to point that out.

Also, Rodrigo only arrived in Hillwood about a year ago, so he didn't have much time to be friends with Helga. Had he been there for years, he would have been friends with her and helped her out however much he could, just like Arnold.

Helga didn't forget all the times Arnold was there for her. In my previous story, 'Helga's Transference', I explain that Helga, as well as everyone else, knew how much Arnold did not want to be away from his parents and they supported him going with them to San Lorenzo. Helga understood that and never made any resistance to that decision. However, she explains to him that even though she supported him going with them, that doesn't mean that was happy about it. Quite the contrary, she was devastated, angry, even resentful. Why? Because it was the very fact that it was she that brought his parents to Arnold, it also that very act that tore their relationship apart. You can image how that would have made Helga feel. She began to question the very reason of why she even got together with Arnold in the first place? What was it all for?

Back the FTI basement...

While Arnold and Helga were up on the balcony, Von Scheck was making his way upstairs to find them. Having armed himself, he was ready to put an end to all of this, to end the life of a miserable kid, now teenager, that had been plaguing him for years. He was looking forward to his fateful and final encounter with the dreaded football head. Hubert was with him, but remained virtually silent as he followed him upstairs. Upon reaching the lobby, they saw Nick Vermicelli, who had just arrived along with some off-duty security personnel.

"I'm here, boss!" Nick exclaimed as he approached Von Scheck.

"Here." Von Scheck said to him as he handed him a gun which was already loaded with bullets.

"What do you want me to do with this?" Nick nervously asked as he uneasily stared down at the lethal weapon that was in his hands.

"Use your head, Nick." Von Scheck retorted in response. "You are to go to the Head Security room on the 30th floor with a few guards. Once there, you are to locate where those teenagers are hiding, what they are taking and coordinate with security personnel in apprehending them. I have already informed everyone that they are to use their weapons if need be." He instructed him.

Nick initially said nothing and just continued to look at the weapon in his hands, growing increasingly nervous at the direction this whole scenario was heading. However, having already failed in his task to ensure Arnold and his friends would not break into the building again, he was in no position to object.

"Yeah boss." Nick said with some reluctance and after putting the weapon in between his hip and pants.

"Take this as well." Von Scheck handed him an employee card. "This will allow you to make your way inside the building without issue. It will let the guards know that you have supervisory authority over them. So, there should be no issue for them to follow yours orders."

Nick said nothing and just took the card and began to make his way to the 30th floor.

"Hubert," he then said to his Head of Security, "you are to take these security personnel and surround this entire building. You are to ensure that none of these kids escape from here. You are also to interview all employees in order to find out just who is inside this building, how many of them are here and what their intentions are. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Mr. Von Scheck." Hubert answered.

Von Scheck then left Hubert to his duties and began to head to the stairs.

Meanwhile...

Arnold and Helga continued to run across the hallway in the hopes of getting to the elevator.

"We should be close." Arnold said to her as they continued to run.

"Hold on, Arnold!" Lorenzo called out to him, prompting him to stop.

"There's a guard heading your way from the opposite direction. You'll need to go up the staircase and onto the next floor. There's no one there." Lorenzo directed him.

"Got it." Arnold said before he then turned around to face Helga. "Come on. We can't go this way. We gotta go upstairs to the next floor." And then started running back, followed by an annoyed Helga who was losing her patience over this constant game of hide and seek with the guards.

Nevertheless, she followed Arnold back to the staircase, went all the way up to the next floor, went inside the hallway and ran towards the elevator.

"I swear we better not hear another word of another guard coming or else." She annoyingly remarked.

"I hear you, Helga. But we're almost there." Arnold assured her as they continued running.

True to Lorenzo's word, they finally made it to the elevator. Wasting no time, they hopped on and Arnold pressed the button that will take them to the top floor.

"Finally." Helga remarked as the door began to close. "How long do we have to hold that stupid office before Curly and Phoebe are done?" She asked.

"I'm not sure." Arnold said. "Curly said they needed time to look through the entire computer and also to locate Von Scheck's other electronic devices via the internet. He never said how long it will take."

"Ugh. Perfect." She sarcastically remarked.

"I just hope that they are close to being done." Arnold continued. "I don't know how long we can hold out."

Meanwhile...

Nick, running short of breath and getting exhausted, continued to make his way up the stairs. With the elevators no longer working, all FTI personnel had to use the stairs to go up or down.

This is...not...what I signed up for... Nick thought as he panted and sweated. Why did this building have to be so tall? Sheesh!

As he got closer to the 30th floor, he came soon came across a few guards who seemed to be confused.

"Hey." Nick called out to them as he reached the floor where they were, still panting and sweating. "Just...give me a second." He said to them as he tried to catch his breath. "What are you guys doing?" He finally asked them.

"We were chasing after one of the intruders." One of the guards responded. "But, we lost him."

"You lost him?" Nick angrily asked him. "They are just a bunch of stupid kids. How could you lose him?"

"I'm sorry, but who the hell are you?" One of the guard retorted.

Nick said nothing back and with an annoyed face, revealed his supervisory employee card, demonstrating his official 'authority' over this operation

"Oh, sorry sir." The same said as he stood at attention.

"He was running too fast." Another guard responded to Nick's question.. "Plus he had a head start."

"Ugh, never mind that kid." Nick said. "I have been ordered by Von Scheck himself to head to the security room and find the rest of them." He continued.

The guards said nothing and just looked each other nervously, a gesture that Nick noticed.

"What?" He asked them. "Don't tell me those kids are in that room."

"Most likely." One of the guards sheepishly said. "They barricaded themselves. We were trying to get inside when the kid came out of nowhere and started attacking us."

"Fools! Don't you have guns?!" Nick said to them with an annoying look. "Why didn't you use it?"

"Because we don't have any guns." One of the guards responded. "They are all locked in the basement."

"Not anymore." Nick said to them. "The Head of Security distributed them. We are to use them if necessary. You." He continued as he pointed to one of the guards. "I need you to go back downstairs and get some weapons for us, then head back to the security room so we can retake it."

"Yes, sir." The guard said and then began to descend down the stairs.

"The rest of you, come with me." Nick ordered them and then began to climb up the stairs, followed by the other two guards.

Meanwhile...

Von Scheck grunted and panted as he went up the stairs, but unlike Nick, had every determination to make it to the top floor without delay. Fired by his will to put an end to this charade and to not be outwitted by a bunch of kids again, he continued to go up the stairs, with fire bursting from his eyes. That, and he was in a much better shape.

"No more games, Arnold." He said to himself with an evil grin. "This ends now. One way or another, you will not make it out of this building alive. I'll make sure of that, ha ha ha ha ha." He continued with an evil chuckle.

It was during this time when Lorenzo spotted him going up the stairs through a camera that had become operational when the virus was uploaded. Realizing that he was potentially heading straight towards Arnold, Rodrigo, Gerald and Helga, he told Curly about it, who in turn contacted Rodrigo immediately and warned him of the situation.

Meanwhile...

*Ding*

The elevator finally reached the top floor and its doors opened. Immediately, Arnold and Helga ran out and headed straight to Von Scheck's office.

"Curly, we're here!" Arnold exclaimed through his earpiece. "Let us in!"

"Opening now." Curly responded.

Arnold and Helga then immediately burst inside the office and closed the door behind them.

"Close it." Arnold instructed him.

"Done." Curly said.

"Phew! Good to see you guys again." Gerald said as he approached them.

"Thanks, Gerald." Arnold said.

Helga then glanced over where Rodrigo was, who was also staring back at her. For a little while, both just continued to stare at each other, as if they were communicating about the event that happened between her and Arnold on that balcony. Helga especially was staring at him with an almost 'I'm sorry' look, but then let her facial expression hardened a bit, informing Rodrigo that despite what happened, it was something that she needed to do...and she was not sorry for it. Rodrigo noticed the change and facially acknowledged it.

"Rodrigo, please tell me Curly is done scanning through Von Scheck's computer." Arnold then interjected, interrupting Rodrigo and Helga.

"No, he's not." Rodrigo responded. "It's going to take a while. In the meantime, we have to hold out for as long as possible."

"What about Nadine and her group?" Helga asked. "Is she on her way?"

Rodrigo then clicked on his earpiece and began to speak through it.

"Phoebe, have you heard anything from Nadine yet? Are they on their way yet?"

"Negative, Rodrigo." Phoebe responded. "They are still working on it. I've told her that they need to hurry up. However, she did say they are almost ready."

"Nothing yet from Nadine, other than them being almost ready." Rodrigo said to Arnold, Gerald and Helga.

"What about Rhonda and everyone else?" Arnold asked.

Rodrigo again clicked on his earpiece.

"Rhonda, are you there? Come in." He said.

"Still here." Rhonda responded. "Did you find Helga?"

"Yeah. She's here with us." Rodrigo responded. "How are you guys holding up? Are those guards still there?"

"No. Sid managed to distract them and they left while trying to chase them." Rhonda explained.

"Is he okay?" Rodrigo asked.

"We don't know. He hasn't responded. " Rhonda replied back.

"What about you guys?" He asked.

"We've barricaded ourselves and set up a few surprises for the guards in case if they come back." Rhonda explained. "But we can't hold them off forever, you know."

"You guys will have to." Rodrigo firmly countered. "Curly and Phoebe need time to complete their task. Do what you can to keep them from getting inside, but please be careful. Do you guys have a way out in case if you need to leave the room?"

"Yeah, we do. Through the ventilation system." Rhonda responded. "We'll try to hold them off and will let you know of any updates."

"Got it." Rodrigo said before then ending his conversation.

"Rhonda and everyone else are okay." Rodrigo explained to everyone else. "Sid distracted some of the guards that tried to get inside and they've barricaded themselves inside the room. They can hold off any attempts from the guards to get inside for the moment, but they can't do it forever."

"So, you're telling us that unless we get help from outside, we are all basically stuck here, with a crazy CEO, possibly armed, coming after us?" Gerald said.

"Pretty much." Rodrigo said with a shrug.

Just then, the sirens that had been blaring ever since they were discovered finally stopped, allowing an eerie, but welcoming silence to dominate the office room.

"Finally!" a relieved Helga exclaimed.

Despite the silence, it didn't make their situation any better, as the four realized just how precarious their situation had now become. Their mission wasn't complete, so couldn't leave. But at the same time, with the whole building now knowing of their presence, it was becoming increasingly difficult to get out.

Arnold said nothing and with a worried frown, went towards the window and looked at the horizon, towards the city. He then looked down and saw that the security personals had erected barricades around the building, effectively surrounding it and preventing from anyone leaving.

"I'm sorry guys." Rodrigo said to everyone. "This wasn't how I was I expecting things to go down."

Gerald and Helga said nothing other than look at him with a worried look (Gerald), or a stern face (Helga).

Helga retained her stern, emotionless face, but then let out a very faint sigh as fear started to grip her, afraid that there was a very real possibility that she and everyone else may not make it out of there alive...

"It doesn't matter now." Arnold then said as he turned around to face them. "Yes, we didn't plan to be in this situation. But we can't just give up now. There are countless people counting on us. At least for them, we have to continue. What matters now is that we do whatever it takes to stop Von Scheck. Whatever happens, we make our stand here. Here, we will let everyone know that we will not be pushed around by those who think they are better than us and can do whatever they want. Today, we stand united and strong. Today, we will make a difference and make our voices heard."

That short speech was enough to inspire everyone again. Almost immediately, their worry went away, replaced with a much needed morale boost.

"Let's barricade this office and hold off anyone who tries to get inside." Arnold said to them.

Rodrigo, Helga and Gerald smiled and then set off to push whatever furniture was there towards the door, as well as anything that could be used to prevent it from opening.

Back at the Head Security room...

The two guards made it back to the security room entrance, with Nick not far behind them, still panting and now exhausted from going up the stairs.

"Well..." Nick said to the two guards when he arrived, still panting. "What...are you two waiting for, an invitation? Open the door."

"We already tried busting through it, but we can't." One of the guards responded.

"Well, keep trying!" Nick shouted at them.

The two guards, after looking at each other, then reluctantly attempted to break the lock by banging on the door again with their fists, body and feet.

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

The two guards continued to hit the door with everything they got, but it was still no use. It just wouldn't budge. Nick just watched by the sidelines, growing ever more frustrated and angry at every failed attempt. He knew that he could not afford to fail again. Eventually, after watching them continuously pound on the door with no success, Nick lost his patience.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Nick angrily remarked as he then approached the door. "Stand aside." He told the two guards as he then took out his gun.

"Listen up you pesky kids! I'm going to be shooting at the door with my gun!" Nick then yelled. "Once we break through the lock, we will be coming for you!"

The guards looked each other confusingly, wondering why Nick was raising his voice and warning those inside about what he was going to do. Unbeknownst to them, Nick had no intention on shooting a bunch of teenagers, regardless of how serious it was. He raised his voice in order to intentionally warn them to move away from the door so as to prevent from striking one of them.

Nick took out his gun, pointed downwards, right where the lock was and pulled the trigger.

*POW**POW**POW**POW**POW**POW**POW*

A hail of bullets then suddenly went flying straight inside the room, passing right through the electronic lock and through the barricades, ricocheting inside the room and releasing a hair of broken debris.

Rhonda, Stinky and Peapod Kid could do nothing but go to the side of the room and hug the floor, while trying to protect themselves with their hands or other items. Terrified that they might be hit, the three teens closed their eyes, breathed heavily, grinned their teeth in absolute fear and just prayed they wouldn't get hit, all while trying their best not to scream in terror.

After using all of his ammo, Nick finally stopped shooting and looked at the lock, which had been completely destroyed. A few sparks came out, signaling that the connection was now off line.

"That should do it." Nick said to the two guards, who then approached the door again and attempted to open it.

The door finally moved, but the barricade prevented it from swinging completely open. Again the guards pushed the door and using all of their strength, slowly the door began to open wider and wider.

"Keep pushing!" Nick said to them.

Each push brought them that much closer to retaking the room and putting a stop to whatever plan those teens had.

We've got them now. Nick thought with a triumphant smile.

Eventually, the guards pushed until there was a big enough opening for them to get inside. The door was still not completely opened, but it was enough for them to get inside, albeit one by one. One of the guards then attempted to get inside by climbing up the barricade. Grabbing onto it, he slowly squeezed his way up, reaching the top. He then pulled himself up to get a good view of the room.

Nick looked on triumphantly as he was on the verge of retaking the room and capturing some of the teens.

The guard continued to pull himself up and just as his head peeked up from above the barricade, he was suddenly met with one of those teens. Rhonda then suddenly appeared and with a determined look, and a fire extinguisher, began to spray its chemicals right on the face of the guard.

"AAAHHHH! My eyes!" The guard suddenly screamed as he fell back right outside.

Despite the guard shouting, Rhonda did not loosen up and continued to spray at him. The other guard that was outside immediately tried to get inside, but Rhonda simply redirected the spraying onto him, blinding him and causing him to all fall back outside and right into the ground.

Nick, shocked at the unexpected counter attack, quickly snapped out of it and tried to reach for Rhonda to grab her. Rhonda, whose body was a bit outside from the room, noticed Nick running towards her and immediately stopped spraying and leaped back inside.

"Come here, you!" Nick angrily exclaimed as he attempted to climb up the barricade.

Rhonda desperately tried to move back, away from his grasp. However, with each attempt, Nick got closer to getting inside the room and with Rhonda occupied on trying to escape, there was nothing that was preventing him from succeeding.

"Peapod Kid, now!" Rhonda then suddenly yelled.

Nick, a bit confused then looked to his side to see another teen with another fire extinguisher. On cue, Peapod Kid released its chemicals right on Nick's face.

"AAAHHH! My eyes!" Nick screamed in pain as he desperately tried to make his way out of the room, falling right out and onto the floor where the other two guards still were.

Peapod Kid made no attempt to stop and continued to spray at all three adults.

"Let's get out of here!" One of the guards yelled as he tried to make it a run for it.

The other guard, although blinded, heeded the call to retreated and ran the other direction.

"Stop, you idiots!" Nick yelled at them. "They are only kids!" But it was one use. The two guards left the scene.

With no help, Nick had no choice but to also make a retreat and immediately got up and ran back to the staircase.

Once they left, Peapod Kid went back inside the room. All three teens then took the time to temporarily rest and catch their breath.

"That was...close." Peapod Kid said as he tried to control his breathing.

"Uh...yeah." Rhonda said, still completely startled by everything that had just unfolded. She was so shaken by the experience that her hands were trembling.

Eventually, Rhonda managed to get some grip on herself.

"Quickly..." Rhonda then began to say while still breathing heavily, "we need to...fix the barricade and get ourselves ready again in case if they come back."

Peapod Kid, despite still shaken, complied and began to move towards the barricade to fix it.

"Stinky, come help me move this." Rhonda said as she grabbed on the table and tried to move it, only for her to see that Stinky was not on the other side.

"Stinky?" She called out and turned to where he was standing.

"Uh, actually Ms. Rhonda, if you don't mind," Stinky began to speak with a very shaky voice, "I think I would like to go home now."

"Stinky?" Rhonda said with a calming tone as she noticed just how bad he was shaking. No doubt he was badly shaken by the shooting.

"It's okay Stinky. They are gone." Rhonda tried to comfort him. "Just help me with this table so we can ensure they don't get inside-"

"Actually Ms. Rhonda, I would really like to go home now." Stinky again said. "So, if you don't mind just leaving the door open a bit so I can get outside, I would appreciate it." And then tried to walk towards the door to leave.

However, Rhonda then immediately went in front of him and blocked his path.

"Stinky, wait." She said as she then grabbed him and tried to push him back. "I know you're scared and that's okay, but you can't leave us here. We need your help-"

"I can't stay here, Ms. Rhonda." Stinky then interjected, now starting to breathe heavily. "I uh, I feel the walls are closing in. I need to get out of here!" He yelled, now panicking.

He then tried to pus his way towards the door, but Rhonda still held on to him. For a short while, both teens continued to push and pull each other in a sort of tug of war. Peapod Kid just stood by the sidelines and watched Stinky and Rhonda push each other.

"Stinky, stop! You can't leave!" Rhonda cried out as she continued to prevent him from trying to leave. "We have a job to do and we need to see it-"

"This really bites! I really need to leave!" Stinky yelled as he continued to panic and tried to get around Rhonda.

Eventually, after trying to reason with him with no luck, and with precious time being wasted, Rhonda finally lost her patience.

"Stinky Peterson, you pull yourself together now!" She angrily yelled at him as she grabbed onto his shirt and started forcefully shaking him, causing him to finally to stop trying to escape and pay attention to her.

"Now you listen to me!" She angrily said to him with a threatening and imposing tone. "I didn't almost fall to my death in the elevator just so we can retreat with our tails between our legs! We have a mission to accomplish, a mission that involves your little shack of a house from getting torn down!"

"What?" Stinky exclaimed in shock. "You almost fell down from the elevator?" He asked.

"Yes I did!" Rhonda angrily yelled. "Had it not been for Rodrigo, I would have died. Well, it was his stupid idea to go through the elevator tunnel to being with, but that's besides the point! I don't know the reason why I didn't die earlier today, but whatever the case, I am using this chance to do something good and meaningful for a change. Which means I am risking myself to save your stupid, downtrodden, barn that you call a house! So if I am doing that, I expect you to do the same! Otherwise, you won't have a house to go home to!"

"I uh, I...I don't know If I can!" Stinky exclaimed, now his knees starting to shake.

She then asked him with a serious, authoritative tone in her voice, "Stinky Peterson, are you or are you not man?" As she pulled him close to her, challenging his masculinity.

"Um well, I-I'm not really sure under what category you are referring to, Ms. Rhonda." Stinky nervously replied back. "Are you referring from a biological or from a gender's or social perspective? Biologically speaking, a man is only someone who has a-"

"JUST ANSWER MY QUESTION!" Rhonda angrily roared at him.

"A man! I'm a man, Ma'am!" Stinky quickly responded.

"Than as a man, I expect you to get a grip, pull yourself together and stand your ground!" She continued to yell at him. "The only way you are going home is with your shield or on it!"

"What?" Stinky asked, confused by the last statement. "I don't have a shield. Was I supposed to bring-?"

"Just get back to your station and fix that barricade!" She yelled at him.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" Stinky replied with a salute and then ran to the door to help Peapod Kid.

Rhonda let a sigh of relief and with a proud smile, looked on with a bit of pride as Stinky frantically fixed the barricade, putting any chairs, boxes or other objects on top of one another.

I'm a natural at this. I should really get into being a motivational speaker. She thought to herself before then going to help her friends.

At Von Scheck's office...

Arnold, Rodrigo, Helga and Gerald had managed to finish stacking the last objects to form a barricade, blocking anyone who tried to get inside the office.

"There. That outta do it." Rodrigo said as he dusted his hands off.

Well, sort of.

"You're kidding, right?" Helga said with a cynical tone. "This 'barricade' won't even hold off a bunch of kindergarten kids from trying to get inside!"

Helga's irritation wasn't unfounded. They didn't have much to go with. All they were able to gather and use was the office desk, a coat rack, a coat to tie up the door handles, most likely belonging to Von Scheck's, a few chairs and Von Scheck's flat TV screen.

"You're right." Rodrigo groaned in agreement. "But, it's all we have."

"It'll have to do." Arnold said.

Everyone then went quiet and began to emotionally and psychologically prepare themselves for their inevitable clash with Von Scheck.

Somewhere in the FTI building...in the bathroom...

"Nah, uh, umm...ow!" Nick grunted and groaned in pain as he tried to clean the chemical powder that was on his face and eyes with water.

Oh, when I get my hands on those measly, stupid kids, they are going to pay! He angrily thought to himself as he continued to wash his face.

After he was sprayed, he desperately tried to find somewhere to clean himself. He naturally thought of the bathroom, but he had no idea where it was and ended up going to various rooms throughout the floor with no such luck. Eventually, he made it to the staircase and frantically went down to the floor below to try and find a bathroom. While just barely able to open his eyes, he finally managed to find one, along with one of the guards and quickly went inside to clean up.

Eventually, after a thorough cleaning, he was able to see well enough and looked at the mirror. Apart from the fact that his clothes were now wet, his eyes were very red and irritated. Upon seeing himself the state he was in, as well as the fact that just got bested by a bunch of teenagers again, he began to snarl and furiously growl.

"That's it!" He angrily yelled. "No more games!" He then pounded his fists on top of the bathroom sink.

Nick then turned to his right and saw that one of the guards was also with him, still washing his eyes and mouth. Furiously, he approached him and grabbed the walkie-talkie.

"Hubert." Nick said through the walkie-talkie. "I need you to send me three more guards, along with a stockpile of weapons."

"Did you find the security room?" Hubert asked.

"Yes, but those stupid kids got there first!" He angrily yelled at him. "They took control of the room and are refusing to budge. I'm going to teach them a lesson they will never forget! Now give me three more guards!"

"Copy that." Hubert acknowledged.

As soon as Nick was done talking, the guard that was with him finally stopped washing his face and was now drying himself. Nick, without even addressing him, simply grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him closer to him.

"You! Find that other guard and meet me back at the security room." He sternly ordered him.

"W-What? Why?" The guard startlingly asked.

"We're going back to retake that room." Nick irritatingly explained. "We're not about to get bested by a bunch of stupid kids. Now go and find him!" He shouted as he pushed the guard away, nearly causing him to fall, but managed to regain his footing and ran outside to find him.

Nick, with an angry glare on his face, clenched his fists and began to slowly make his way back.

Back at Von Scheck's office...

"Rhonda, come in." Rodrigo asked through his earpiece. "How are you guys holding up there?"

"Oh just Fascinating, Rodrigo." She sarcastically responded. "I'm holding a cocktail party with everyone here, including the guards. Would like to join us?"

"Okay..." Rodrigo said, feeling a bit worried by her sarcasm.

"We just got shot by those stupid guards a moment ago!" She then angrily, almost hysterically yelled at him. "How do you think we feel?!"

"What?!" Rodrigo exclaimed, with a horrified look on his face. "Was anyone hurt? Are you hurt?"

That got Arnold's, Helga's and Gerald's attention.

"Physically, we're fine." Rhonda responded. "Can't say psychologically."

This was too much for Rodrigo to tolerate any further. He then went quiet and quickly went through a whole series of options through his head, trying to find the best outcome while not endangering his friends.

"Rhonda," He then spoke again, "get out of there. It's no longer safe for any of you. The guards will surely come back and if they tried to shoot at you before, they will do it again."

"What?!" Arnold exclaimed in utter shock when he heard that the guards had tried to hurt his friends, but Rodrigo merely ignored him.

"You guys can still get out of here." Rodrigo continued. "Find Sid and get out of here."

"Did Curly and Phoebe manage to get everything they needed?" Rhonda, quite calmly, asked him.

"Well um...no." Rodrigo reluctantly replied. "He said they are almost done retrieving all the documents from the computer, but they still need time to retrieve all the transactions and phone records from Von Scheck's other devices."

"Well tell him to HURRY UP!" Rhonda very frustratingly yelled out. "And no, we're not leaving until he gets what he needs."

"Rhonda, listen to me," Rodrigo then sternly began to speak to her, "this is getting way out of hand. The guards tried to shoot you! You guys need to get out of there while you can. Please!"

"No!" Rhonda firmly replied back. "If we leave now, the guards will take over this room and Curly will lose his ability to find all the evidence we need to put that crazy, psychopathic monster away for good! We went through too much to put this mission at risk by just leaving piece-meal. We're staying!"

"Rhonda this is not the time to be stubborn!" Rodrigo frantically shouted back at her. "You and everyone there have done enough. Curly has collected sufficient evidence to put him away. Trust me!"

"But it may not be enough!" Rhonda exclaimed back at him. "We need to get ALL of the evidence, not just some. I promise we'll leave once we know we did all we can to give Curly and Phoebe enough time."

"Rhonda, please!" Rodrigo now pleaded with her, although if he had to be honest, he was kind of surprised, if not also in awe, of her unexpected firm and brave stance.

"Over and out." Rhonda then interjected and disconnected herself from Rodrigo.

"Rh-" Rodrigo tried to speak, but heard that his communication with her was lost.

"What happened?" Arnold worryingly asked him.

"The guards tried to shoot their way inside the security room." Rodrigo, while a bit shaken, explained. "But Rhonda and everyone managed to push them back."

"Are they okay?" Arnold asked him.

"Yeah, they are. No one got hurt." Rodrigo replied. "I tried to get convince to get out of there, but she refused to leave. She said she'll leave when she knows they did all they can to stall for time."

Arnold then attempted to try and get a hold of Rhonda through this earpiece, but all he kept getting was static.

"Ugh, I can't get through to her!" He grunted.

"I'm surprised Princess didn't yet flea." Helga remarked. "Impressive, especially her stubbornness to stay put."

"I'll say. She's almost as stubborn as you now." Gerald remarked with a smirk, to which Helga merely frowned at him.

Rodrigo however, was not amused and just looked straight at the wall, completely worried and dismayed at how badly things were turning and for endangering his friends like this.

"I should have gone alone." Rodrigo said. "I shouldn't have allowed anyone to come here with me."

"No." Arnold then firmly said to him. "I know you're worried about them, but you wouldn't have been able to do this on your own. You needed everyone's help."

"Yeah but, not at our friends' expense." Rodrigo worryingly said. "This is my worst nightmare coming true, what I had always dreaded might happen-"

"You said that they are okay, did you not?" Arnold then interrupted him.

"Yeah, I did." Rodrigo replied.

"And you said they will leave eventually, right?" Arnold then said.

"Yeah." Rodrigo replied. "What's our point?"

"My point is that it's no use regretting the decisions we made now." Arnold explained. "Despite the danger, they are okay and they will make it through this. Rhonda, Stinky, Peapod Kid and Sid are being strong for us. We need to be strong for them now."

Rodrigo said nothing and just let out a sigh.

"You're right." He said. "Thanks." He smiled at him.

Arnold just smiled back.

Back at the Head Security room...

As soon as Rhonda cut Rodrigo off, everyone then suddenly heard a noise.

"What was that?" Peapod Kid asked.

Everyone said nothing and just listened to the noise as it slowly got louder and louder.

"It sure sounds like it's coming from the roof." Stinky remarked.

"Yeah...it does." Peapod Kid agreed

"The ventilation system!" Rhonda softly, but shockingly exclaimed. "They're coming through the ventilation system! Quickly! We need to hold them off."

The three teens then scrambled to get whatever they could to defend themselves. Rhonda and Stinky got their fire extinguishers, while Peapod Kid grabbed a rod and readied himself to take a good swing the second he saw a head pop out. They anxiously awaited as they crept closer and closer to the hole. With each bang echoing its way out towards their ears, they started to breathe heavily, whilst feeling their fear starting to grip them. They only managed to control it by gripping their weapons tightly with their fists.

Eventually, the noise got to the point where the teens were able to realize that the guard was just about a foot away from the hole. Rhonda readied her fire extinguisher and aimed at the hole, but then they heard a familiar voice.

"Psst! Guys? Are you there?" Someone softly called out to them.

"Sid? Is that you?" Rhonda softly asked.

"Ya, it's me." Sid said. "I'm coming in."

After making a few more noises, Sid finally popped his head out.

"Hey guys!" Sid greeted them, allowing everyone to sigh in absolute relief.

"Where have you been?" Peapod Kid. "We were trying to get in touch with you."

"Sorry. I lost my earpiece." Sid replied as he slid down the ventilation and into the room. "While I was running, I tumbled down and it fell off. I didn't have time to retrieve it."

"Well, it's good to have you back again, Sid." Stinky happily said.

"Very much so." Rhonda also said.

"Thanks." Sid said with a smile. "So, what's the scoop? What did I miss? Did Curly get whatever he needed to get?"

"Almost." Rhonda said with an exhausted sigh. "He only managed to get some incriminating evidence from Von Scheck's work computer. He is still trying to retrieve anything from his personal phone and laptop."

"Oh man, really?" Sid annoyingly said. "So, we're stuck here until then?"

"Sure looks that way, Sid." Stinky replied.

"I'll quickly bring you up to speed, but we better hurry." Rhonda said. "We managed to hold off an attempt from the guards to try and get in and we're expecting them to try again."

Back at Von Scheck's office...

After Arnold managed to comfort Rodrigo, they suddenly heard the telephone ring.

*Ring**ring**ring**ring**ring*

Startled by the sound, they looked toward its direction on the floor and realized that it was Von Scheck's office phone.

"Uh, was Von Scheck expecting a call today?" Gerald half jokingly asked.

For a little while, none did anything and just continued to stare at the phone while it continued to ring. None weren't really sure, but there was something odd about the phone call and how it was ringing at that particular moment.

"I think...that call is for us." Gerald remarked, this time being serious.

"I...think you're right, Gerald." Arnold agreed.

Slowly, Arnold went up to it, bent down, grabbed the receiver, pushed the speaker phone and answered.

"Hello?" Arnold answered.

"Ah, Arnold. Good to hear from you." Von Scheck spoke in a pleasant and polite manner. "I can see you and your friends have made yourself comfortable in my office."

"What do you want?" Helga demanded.

"Ms. Pataki. Pleasure to hear from you as well." Von Scheck politely said to her. "Well for starters, there is the little issue of you being in my office, unannounced and unauthorized. Now I know you youngsters have your own mannerisms, but even in these times, that type of behaviour is not only quite rude, but trespassing on private property is still illegal."

"Pfft, please! You're the one to talk." Helga scoffed at him.

"Regardless on how we may see the etiquette Ms. Pataki, here are the facts." Von Scheck continued to speak. "You and your little entourage are surrounded with no way to get out. You can look through the window yourself; I have the entire building barricaded and surrounded, with no one coming to help you from the outside. I've made sure of that. You are alone."

"Now whatever it is that you are trying to do Arnold," Von Scheck continued, "it is pointless and I will see to it personally that neither you, or your friends will get out of here alive."

As much as the group tried to remain fearless, that last statement sent a very cold chill down their spines and it was becoming ever harder to really see the chances of them making out of this alive and well.

"However," Von Scheck then said, "I can be merciful. If you Arnold, willingly give yourself up to me, I will let your friends off the hook and allow them to leave here unscathed. I will even go so far as to ensure that I will NOT press any charges against them. They will be able to happily get on with their lives."

"What are you planning on doing to Arnold?" Rodrigo asked.

There was a slight pause from Von Scheck's side.

"You must be Rodrigo Castile." Von Scheck finally said. "Charming. To answer your question, I will be honest; I'm going to kill him."

Von Scheck's dead honesty completely shocked everyone in the group.

"I am promising you Arnold," Von Scheck continued to calmly speak, "that however this will turn out, you will not be leaving this building alive. But, I can help spare your friends that same fate, if you would but only turn in yourself directly to me."

The group went quiet and using their hands and body to communicate, silently told Arnold not to take the offer. Gerald was especially, in a joking kind of way, explicitly telling him to give Von Scheck the middle finger, highly confident that Arnold would never accept such a stupid offer.

Arnold stayed quiet as he watched his friends tell him how they felt about the offer. Then, he turned to face the phone, knelt down closer it before he gave him his answer.

"Deal." He said.

His friends at first did not register what he just said and just silently nodded in agreement, until it finally dawned on them.

"I'm coming out right now." Arnold continued to speak. "But, you need to swear that you will hold your end of the deal."

"I'm glad you are seeing reason, Arnold." Von Scheck said. "You have my word. None of your friends will be harmed, physically or legally."

At first, they all thought he was joking, or that he was at least deceiving Von Scheck. But, when it became clear that Arnold was not communicating back to his friends that this was any sort of a deception on his part, not even the typical eye wink, and seeing the seriousness on his face, their bodies became numb and their blood became instantly cold.

Helga was especially mortified and had it not been for the shock, she would already launched himself at him, yelling and screaming at him for actually agreeing to such a stupid deal.

"Alright, I'm coming out – Hey!" Arnold said, but then instantly felt someone suddenly and very aggressively grab him and slammed him towards the wall.

"We'll call you back." Rodrigo said after he was grabbed Arnold and pushed him towards the wall, and then instantly turned the speaker off and hanged up.

"Rodrigo! What are you doing?" Arnold grunted as he tried to break free from him.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Rodrigo angrily shouted at him. "Have you completely gone nuts?! Why would you ever accept Von Scheck's offer?!"

"Rodrigo, cool it man!" Gerald then shouted back as he tried to get in between Rodrigo and Arnold...for the third time. "This isn't helping anyone!". After some attempt, he finally managed to get Rodrigo to let go of Arnold.

"But the man does a point." Gerald then said to Arnold with a frown. "You' better have a good reason why you accepted such a crazy plan!"

"Because Gerald, if there is a chance I can save everyone from getting hurt, then I'll take it." Arnold calmly explained. "Need I reminder you that Rhonda, Stinky, Peapod Kid and Sid are also trapped in this building and they just barely escaped death? We have to think about them too. And besides, with Curly almost being done, there is real no reason for us to stay here."

"Forget it, Arnold!" Rodrigo then angrily yelled at him. "I'm not going to allow you to become a martyr!"

"I agree!" Gerald then said. "Did it ever occur to you that Von Scheck is most likely lying and will probably renegade on his promise and end up killing everyone anyways? You can't trust him!"

"I appreciate your concern," Arnold then countered, "but it's not fair, nor is it worth to sacrifice the whole group for the sake of one person."

"That's total BS, Arnold!" Rodrigo angrily countered back. "By trying to get yourself killed, you are being selfish!"

"How?" Arnold asked.

"Even if Von Scheck keeps his promise, you haven't thought how your death will impact everyone around you!" Rodrigo exclaimed. "How will Gerald and Helga be able to cope knowing that they just lost someone so close to them? How will your parents be able to deal with your death, knowing that they had already lost a decade on being in your life? What about your grandparents? Are you willing to put such a burden on their shoulders with the idea that they will be burying you, when in fact it should be the opposite?!"

"Rodrigo's right!" Gerald then stepped in. "You're my best friend, Arnold. Actually, no. You're like a brother to me. There's no way I'm going to allow you to sacrifice yourself like that!"

"I uh...really?" He asked him.

"Yes!" Gerald, a bit emotionally, shouted. "So if you even as so much as take a step towards that door, I'll tie you up myself!" He threatened him.

Arnold said nothing as he did not really know how to counter that, but Rodrigo wasn't done.

"You just got back together with Helga!" Rodrigo continued to angrily shout at him. "After three years, she finally has you again. Are you willing to commit the same, stupid mistake by getting yourself killed and leaving her, again, permanently this time?!"

That last one caused Arnold to jolt in shock. He then looked towards Helga, who said nothing but just gave him a frightened, tearful look.

Arnold remained silent for a short while as he pondered everything that Rodrigo and Gerald said to him. He had been so concerned with the lives of his friends that it hadn't dawned on him how his death may take such a toll on his friends. However, he remained adamant on his decision and was about to protest when Helga suddenly spoke.

"Listen football head," She said him as she got closer to him. "I and everyone else in this building have known you practically our whole lives. And throughout that time, you were always there for us. Whenever one of us needed some advice, support, or just a shoulder to cry on, you were there. Despite our shortcomings, you never hesitated to offer your help to those who needed it, even if they didn't want your help. You always helped and never held a grudge."

Rodrigo was about to protest on that last part, but at the last moment, decided against it and kept quiet.

"So now, we are asking you to let us be here for you." She continued. "Let us help you. Let us stick by you. I know you are worried about us getting hurt, but we are also scared to see you get hurt, or worse. We will not allow that to happen. Gerald, myself and Rodrigo at least, we'll see this through to the end, with you."

Arnold said nothing and just stared at Helga in amazement. He then looked at Gerald and Rodrigo who visually confirmed what Helga said; they were with him to the end. As much as Arnold found that to be apprehensive, he couldn't help but also feel very touched by how much his friends cared about him; they were willing to put themselves at great risk just so he can be safe! All this time he was looking out for everyone. He never complained about it. He just thought it was something that he felt he had to do. But it felt exhilaratingly warm to know that that same group of people were willing to do the same! This was what was missing in his life; this sense of group camaraderie, to not just love, but look out for each other. This big...family. Finally, Arnold was persuaded.

"Thanks guys." He said with a smile. "This means a lot. Okay, I won't take Von Scheck's offer then."

Everyone else felt relieved and let out a smile. Even Rodrigo couldn't help but smile. He then went for the phone, found to received call and dialed Von Scheck's number. After a few rings,

"Have you made a decision?" Von Scheck answered.

"Yes." Rodrigo said. "No deal. We're seeing this through to the end."

At first, nothing was heard from the other side. But then, Von Scheck let out a little chuckle and pleasantly said to them, "Then, the deed shall be done." Before he then hanged up.